Strathmere

Upper Twp, Cape May County, NJ

Strathmere, a mere 14 blocks long and 2 blocks wide, is an unincorporated area located within Upper Township.

Selected text, below, was adapted from a Historic American Buildings Survey document, Town of Strathmere, [HABS NJ-1043], 1991, Washington D.C.

Strathmere is representative of the resorts which developed along the Cape May Barrier islands as a result of the arrival of the West Jersey and Seashore railroad. The West Jersey Railroad's decision to connect Sea Isle City and Ocean City in 1884 resulted in the development of the northern section of the island.

Though the city of Strathmere was not officially named until 1912, its resort history dates back to the 1870s. The Whelen hotel, built in 1871, housed Pennsylvania railroad workers and adventurous fishermen. First known as Corson's Inlet, after early setters John and Peter Corson, the area was called Whale Beach when the first boardwalk was constructed in 1911.

Strathmere did not experience the same development pressure confronting many other shore resorts. The only known industry in town was a boatyard established in the 1930s by Alfred May. Today, a post office, volunteer fire company, hotel and restaurant form the Landis Avenue commercial district. Just before the bridge to Ocean City, Deauville Inn overlooks the bay and surrounding marshlands. The lifesaving station and a boathouse are both located on Bayview Avenue between the bay and the main street. Partially because of problems with the water supply have checked development, Stathmere still provides a good example of what Long Beach Island and the neighboring barrier islands might have looked like in the 1930s and 1940s.

Prepared by: Camille Gatza HABS Historian, 1991

Sources:

1. Beitel, Herbert M. and Enck, Vance C. Cape May County: A Pictorial History. Norfolk: The Donning Company, 1988.
2. Carmona, Katherine C. "Tales and Legends of Upper Township and Its Villages." South Jersey Magazine 18 (Spring 1989): 9-16.
3. Sebold, Kimberly, and Sara Amy Leach. Historic Themes and Resources within the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail: Southern New Jersey and the Delaware Bay Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Interior.

Street Names
Bay Avenue • Bayview Drive • Commonwealth Avenue • Landis Avenue • Neptune Drive • Prescott Road West • Putnam Avenue East • Putnam Avenue West • Randolph Avenue West • Route 619 • Seacliff Road East • Seacliff Road West • Seaview Drive • Sherman Avenue East • Sherman Avenue West • Sumner Avenue East • Sumner Avenue West • Tecumseh Avenue East • Tecumseh Avenue West • Vincent Road • Vincent Road West • Webster Avenue • Webster Avenue East • Whittier Road East • Whittier Road West • Willard Avenue East • Willard Avenue West • Williams Road East • Winthrop Road East • Winthrop Road West